May May 28 after May 28 damage Protests began at Broad & High Streets, the two main intersections of Columbus, and the location of the
Ohio Statehouse. It began peacefully, though into the night the protests became violent. At around 7 p.m.
EDT, some protesters blocked traffic on
Interstate 71. Around 9 p.m. some protesters began to throw bottles. Protesters shouted, threw water bottles, eggs, shoes, and rocks, and launched fireworks into lines of police, while officers, mounted police, and SWAT used pepper spray, rubber and wooden pellets, flashbangs to drive them back. Some protesters threw the pepper spray back at police officers. Some tore trash cans and mailboxes from their mountings. Around 11:30, protesters used trash cans to smash the Statehouse's windows, and attempted to enter through its High Street doors (locked to the public for years). One person managed to enter the state auditor's ceremonial office through a window, though they left as soon as state troops arrived, and was arrested outside the building. Two lamps, over a century old, had their glass smashed, which may be difficult to replace. Small flags for forgotten soldiers on the east side of the building were set on fire; the remaining ones were brought inside by a Statehouse grounds crew. 28 Statehouse windows were shattered on May 28, along with the west doors, five pole lamps, some granite, and a bench. The
Ohio Theatre, including its historic ticket office, had glass smashed in. Numerous other buildings suffered damage. As protesters were dispersed, a group of about 400 went south down High Street to the Franklin County Courthouse, with some breaking windows as they passed by. The downtown DGX store, part of the
Dollar General chain, was looted. Around midnight, more Columbus police and Ohio Highway patrol officers were called in to further disperse those who were vandalizing.
May 29 In the afternoon, Governor DeWine encouraged people to protest, but urged them to peacefully. Protesters gathered at Livingston and Lockbourne Avenues in Columbus's
South Side in the evening, in a peaceful protest with signs and chanted slogans. In the evening, community leaders met at the
Lincoln Theatre along with
Columbus City Council President
Shannon Hardin and Nick Bankston, president of the Columbus Urban League Young Professionals. The leaders acknowledged the damage, with some urging people to look beyond the damage, and others not condoning intentional property damage. Hundreds of people arrived downtown later in the evening. Columbus Police set up numerous choke points to control traffic and block protesters. Around 10 p.m., an emergency was declared, with police ordering protesters and reporters to leave the area. Over 100 properties were damaged throughout the night.
Harvard University basketball player
Seth Towns, who had just recently graduated from the Ivy League school and will play for Ohio State University as a graduate student, was detained at the rally.
May 30 {{multiple image|total_width=550 In the morning of May 30, business owners began to clean up their vandalized businesses. One business reported that they hadn't had a problem with vandalism like this in their 40 years of operating. Bricks, rocks, pieces of granite, water bottles, and other debris lined the streets, while few storefronts were left untouched. Most windows were smashed, with graffiti on signs, walls, and windows across downtown. Milestone 229, at
Bicentennial Park, had planned to reopen June 1, though the building was looted, stifling their reopening plans and causing significant damage. As well, it was announced in the morning that
COTA, the city's local transit agency, would reroute all of its buses on May 30 around downtown, with no buses traveling through the affected areas. Thousands of protesters continued demonstrating beginning at 10 a.m. at the Ohio Statehouse, relatively peacefully yet still tense. Protesters were estimated at 2,000 people, more than previous days. At about 1:30 p.m., the city of Columbus issued an emergency declaration, advising people to avoid the area. By 3 p.m., Governor
Mike DeWine called in the
Ohio National Guard, with
Ohio Highway Patrol officers to help with law enforcement. Police were unable to respond to regular calls due to the protests. Mayor
Andrew Ginther declared a curfew for 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until things calm down, with any violators subject to arrest. The curfew excludes emergency services, news media, people traveling directly to or from work, and people seeking care, in dangerous circumstances, or experiencing homelessness. All downtown streets were indefinitely closed to non-emergency traffic at 6 p.m. 59 people were arrested following the May 30 protests.
May 31 {{multiple image|total_width=450 A nearly-completed apartment complex near
Topiary Park caught on fire, with its roof collapsed. The fire is under investigation, and may be related to the protests happening. Ohio Attorney General
Dave Yost began sweeping up debris in Capitol Square early in the day, asking others to join him. Around noon, Hardin and Beatty, two of the politicians caught in police pepper spray on the previous day, made a statement supporting a civilian review commission to review police force, instead of allowing the department to investigate its own officers. They support immediate police reform, beyond commissions and studies into the issues. Hundreds gathered at the Ohio Statehouse in the morning into the afternoon for a fourth continuous day of protests. They were joined by members of the local Shiloh Christian Center, who gathered to pray for peace. Protests continued into the evening. Some protesters threw water bottles at police officers.
June June 1 Protests took place in downtown Columbus as well as at the
Ohio State University; the protests at the university were the first since George Floyd's murder. The
Ohio Judicial Center was closed on June 1 due to vandalism committed during the riots. The damage includes broken windows and graffiti messages such as "Fuck 12," "BLM," and "
ACAB." Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan and several other police officers joined protesters. Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council denounced the police chief and his officers for their aggressive tactics. Ginther created an independent review board for police actions: he asks protesters to report instances of excessive force by police during the protests, to be reviewed by a civilian from the Department of Public Safety's Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Office. On the same day, the city of Columbus declared racism a public health crisis, following Franklin County, which had done the same earlier that month. Over 1,200 people signed a letter of support of the city's declaration, many of whom were local business, institution, and nonprofit leaders. A group of protesters created a committee to call for the resignation of the mayor and chief of police; echoed by Stonewall Columbus's call for the police chief to resign on the same day. A protest near OSU lasted about 25 minutes past the city's curfew, until being broken up by police. The peaceful protest had about 200 participants. Police Chief Thomas Quinlan was marching with the crowd earlier in the day. 11 arrests were made for curfew violations in the evening of June 1. On the same night, student newspaper journalists from the
Ohio State University were pepper-sprayed by police. The students, representing
The Lantern newspaper, had shown their press credentials and were exempt from the city's curfew as journalists; officers replied with statements including that they "don't care" and to "get inside."
June 2 at the Ohio Statehouse, June 2 In the morning, Mayor Ginther and Police Chief Thomas Quinlan answered questions about the protests. Quinlan defended his officers' use of tear gas and pepper spray, stating that it helps disperse crowds without a need for arrests, charges, courtroom appearances, and further actions. Quinlan stated he just wants violent protesters to "leave and stop damaging our city". Protests continued peacefully at the Ohio Statehouse on the sixth consecutive day of protests, and were again held at the Ohio State University. Protests were mostly peaceful. The majority of protesters left after the 10 p.m. curfew set in, while some continued to walk from Broad and High to Hudson Street. Some protesters continued on to the I-71 on-ramp before police arrived and blocked the ramp. The Columbus Urban League met with City Council President Shannon Hardin; the organization announced steps to address racial disparities, including seeking partnerships with the city's police union, and with other police, government, business, and nonprofit leaders. They also recommended implementing recommendations given in recent reports on the city's police reform, as well as advocating for Ohio to follow Columbus and Franklin County in declaring racism a public health crisis. Lastly, they recommended joining with city and county leaders to address
health disparities between races in the area.
June 3 A two-hour protest was staged at Mayor Andrew Ginther's home at The Knolls, a subdivision in northwest Columbus. More than 100 attended, and participated in a
lie-in, lying down for the 8 minutes, 46 seconds that George Floyd was pinned down before he died. Police drove by, though there was no interaction with the crowd; the mayor was reportedly attending a prayer service elsewhere at the time. Protests downtown were smaller than previous days, at 300–400 by the afternoon, though more joined later into the evening. The group met at the
William McKinley Monument, and marched two miles east down Long Street before returning. Into the evening, several hundred participated in protests around the Statehouse, a smaller number due to rain, though a peaceful and vocal crowd. A candlelight memorial was held in the late afternoon. At about 9 p.m., the crowd's intensity increased, with about 300 marching counter-clockwise around the Statehouse, though everyone was encouraged to disperse at 9:30 to keep with the city's curfew.
June 5 Mayor Ginther announced that an independent police civilian review board will be modeled in July, and staffed by January 2021. The city-appointed Community Safety Advisory Commission had recommended the civilian review panel in January 2020. Ginther also announced that the city is reevaluating the use of chemical sprays for crowd dispersal. Thousands of people attended a peaceful protest at the Ohio Statehouse, most wearing all black. Mayor Ginther mingled among them during the event. In the early afternoon, they marched to the Columbus police headquarters and back. The speeches and chants echoed similar and past protests, though with the addition of singing happy birthday to
Breonna Taylor, an African-American woman shot and killed by Louisville police. Downtown streets were closed to traffic around 6:40 p.m. Around 7 p.m., thousands marched up High Street through the Short North, Old North Columbus, and past the Ohio State University campus to Lane Avenue in the University District. After curfew, at around 10:40, police began to show resistance, forming a line and wearing riot gear, though they did not use force to disperse the crowd, then dwindling to about 40 people. Also on June 5, about 500 medical workers (students, researchers, doctors, and nurses) participated in a demonstration at the Ohio State University's
James Cancer Hospital. The event was a part of the nationwide "White Coats for Black Lives" movement, part of the larger
Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The protesters knelt for the 8 minutes, 46 seconds that George Floyd was pinned down for while he was murdered. "White Coats" events were also held at other Central Ohio hospitals that day, including
OhioHealth's
Riverside Methodist Hospital,
Grant Medical Center,
Doctors Hospital, and
Dublin Methodist Hospital.
June 6 Protests continued with a march from downtown
Bexley on Drexel Avenue down Broad Street to the Ohio Statehouse downtown. The group started with a few hundred people, though more joined in, and other groups marched from
Goodale Park,
Schiller Park, and the University District to converge on the Statehouse. Thousands of people attended the protests at the Statehouse. About 20 employees of local chain Northstar Cafe walked out on June 6. Service and bar staff walked out of its Short North location in protest of a company policy giving a 50% discount to police and firefighters. An early response to the Floyd protests on June 3 removed the longstanding policy, though it was reinstated on June 5. In addition to the walkout, the location's kitchen manager quit immediately over the policy, though he had given a two-weeks' notice prior. Evening protests involved several hundred gathering to rest and build relationships by the
Franklin Park Conservatory. The group shared food, listened to music, and reflected and decompressed. Activists registered people to vote, spoke to advocate for change, and distributed lists of demands for change in city policing.
June 7 Protests continued for an 11th day, with protesters marching at the Ohio Statehouse and City Hall. Protests at the Statehouse were calm, with relatively low attendance at about 300 protesters. The City Hall event was "Gathering of Black Excellence: A Prestigious Protest", a prayer and march attended by black men in suits and ties, signaling that they were serious, and need and deserve to be heard. Mayor Ginther and some Columbus police joined the march. On the same day, City Council members, including its president, called for charges for some protesters to be dismissed. The officials demanded charges for violating curfew and failing to disperse to be dismissed; the city attorney announced some curfew charges had already been dismissed.
June 8 About 100 protesters marched west on Broad Street from downtown into
Franklinton in support of the movement. In addition, an event was held at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Columbus, involving numerous public defenders kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
June 9 June 9, the 13th day of protests, was the hottest day of the year so far. Crowds were smaller, though several online events were scheduled, along with additional protests into the coming weekend. Also that day, about 300 Ohio State University faculty signed a letter to the school's administration, asking it to cut ties with the Columbus police.
June 10 The Ohio National Guard departed the city after nearly two weeks in Columbus. Columbus hosted its first recent hearing on police reform, after five months of inaction. The city council president apologized for inaction on the 330-page report on policing problems released August 2019, and officially delivered to the mayor in January. In the hearing, Mayor Ginther said creating the civilian oversight panel was his top priority, and stated he is calling on state law enforcement officials to assist investigations into Columbus police malfeasance. Some of the city's commissioners pushed for reprioritizing the department's budget, for fewer armored vehicles and helicopters and more social services for police to handle routine societal problems. Focus was also on new crowd control training to allow for civilians' First Amendment rights, and to avoid violent tactics during nonviolent situations. Nonrelated to the protests, severe thunderstorms moved into the area that evening, and a
tornado warning was issued for the south side of Columbus. Another result of the protests included Franklin County Public Health hiring a new associate director of equity and inclusion, focusing on racism and health disparities in Franklin County.
June 12 A march was organized from Columbus City Hall to the Ohio Statehouse. The group was made up of mothers of men and women killed by Ohio law enforcement, with the names of the deceased written on their shirts. More than 1,000 protesters joined them.
June 14 A protest was held at Northstar Cafe in the Short North, following employee walkouts over the company reinstating a 50% police discount.
June 16 Protesters parked cars across High Street in front of the Ohio Statehouse and blocked traffic.
June 19 Protests continued. Amid
Pride Month, the group Black, Out and Proud held an event in recognition of the interlinked fight for civil rights of black and LGBT communities.
June 20 Protests, which were mostly peaceful, continued outside the Statehouse. The groups Columbus Freedom Coalition and Black Queer Intersectional Collective held a protest at Mayor Ginther's house, aimed toward "abolishing, defunding, dismantling, demilitarizing the Columbus Division of Police". The June 21 conflict was controversial, as the mayor had banned the use of chemical agents against nonviolent protesters less than a week prior. Mayor Ginther defended the actions, saying that the police were met with violence. Several Columbus City Council members disagreed, and condemned the use of the chemical agents. Another controversy arose over a man with two prosthetic legs, both allegedly removed by police during the conflict. Footage from police body cameras contradict the claim, while other videos show the man throwing a sign at police.
June 22 Columbus police officers, speaking anonymously, detailed low morale and unsteady leadership in the department and mixed signals from the city government. Regarding the incident on the prior day, they recounted several "stand-down" orders, conflicting with official accounts by the mayor and Division of Police.
June 27 Hundreds gather at a "recall Mayor Ginther" rally, with many calling on Ginther to defund the city's police department.
July 18 BLM supporters were among several groups protesting outside of the Statehouse. Anti-mask protesters were also present.
September 23 About 300 gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to picket and march in protest of the minimal charges brought against officers involved in the
shooting of Breonna Taylor. ==Protesters==